Destiny: The Guardians
by TheRationalAnarchist
Summary: "Guardian… Guardian? Eyes up Guardian. It worked… You're alive!" It takes a lot of effort to bring a man back from the dead so of course there are strings attached, but some people don't need to be forced into protecting those who cannot protect themselves. Destiny AU with all the usual suspects along for the ride.
1. Resurrection

The wind threw up huge clouds of dust from the sun-bleached ground and howled eerily as it rattled the branched of the dead and dying trees and whipped through the rusted carcasses of hundreds of cars which saturated the old roads in wasteland that had once been a population hub in Old Russia. In amongst the desolation and carnage was another sound which was completely out of place, the Ghost hummed tunelessly as it weaved in and out of the rusty shells stopping occasionally to scan the remains of the deceased that lay within.

"Ouch…" it said aloud to the emptiness as it scanned another skeleton, whoever it had been had not gone out pleasantly the ragged bullet hole in the top skull told the Ghost that much but little else. It could be they had been shot by a Fallen sniper during the Collapse or, and possibly more likely they had lost hope and taken the easy way out.

The Ghost briefly wondered what their name had been and what their story was but moved on quickly, the Fallen crawled all over this area making it a bad idea to stay in one place for too long, it also had the uneasy feeling it was being watched…

* * *

><p>The Ghost's instincts were good; it had been spotted a few minutes earlier by a Fallen patrol and currently sat in the cross-hairs of the captain's sniper rifle. The alien creature's four long arms stretched out slightly as it rose from its crouched firing stance. A roaring battle cry sent its troops scampering off in pursuit of the Ghost.<p>

* * *

><p>Flying over a small stream the Ghost found another skeleton lying in the dirt beside an ancient SUV, as it scanned the remains holding little hope that a positive reading would turn up. While its programming searched for the one thing that would make this corpse unique the Ghost examined the skeleton visually as it became wreathed in the blue light from the scanner. It had belonged to a human, which was always a good start, male around six foot tall, not that size mattered of course the Ghosts would fit in the palm of a human's hand, that didn't make their job any less important.<p>

The Ghost was bought back to the job at hand by a pinging sound that signaled a positive reading "Is it possible?"

The eight triangular shaped segments that surrounded the Ghost's central core spread out activating the most important sequence of programming that the Ghost could run the resurrection of a Guardian. "There you are…" it muttered as a blindingly bright blue flash erupted from its core.

* * *

><p>"Guardian… Guardian?" Jaune's eyes flickered restlessly beneath his eyelids; the robotic sounding voice that addressed him sounded muted and distant. "Eyes up Guardian." the voice insisted; as he opened his eyes he found himself face down in the dirt his body aching all over, <em>why had he fallen asleep here?<em>

Stretching out his sore muscles he pushed himself to a seated position, "It worked… You're alive!" Jaune flinched backwards away from the voice bashing his head against the frame of the car. Stifling a few choice curses as his eyes began to focus and he came face to face with the source of the voice.

Directly in front of him floating at eye level was a small cube only a little bigger than a tennis ball with a single blue eye in its centre. "You don't know how long I have been looking for you." the voice continued as the cube bobbed around in front of him. _Where was he? And how had he got here?_ Jaune's mind was hazy he could barely remember his own name.

"I'm a Ghost. Actually, now I'm your Ghost." the small floating cube explained, _what the hell is a Ghost?_ The newly created Guardian asked himself as he stood working all the cricks out of his joints.

"And you… Well, you've been dead a long time. So, you're going to see a lot of things you won't understand."

"That seems reasonable…" Jaune replied hoarsely before alarm bells began to ring in his head, "Wait did you just say I was dead?" he exclaimed his voice cracking from centuries of neglect.

* * *

><p>The Ghost examined the new Guardian the blonde boy was younger than it had expected him to be, he was probably in his early twenties, strong and lithe but his most prominent feature were his deep blue eyes which were clouded with confusion and fear. "Umm… Well yes I did but that isn't really important right now… I took the liberty of equipping you with some body armour; you're going to need it." Jaune looked down at the old dented armour he was wearing, <em>what was he going to need this for?<em>

* * *

><p>A roar echoed from across the other side of the freeway startling both Jaune and the Ghost, "I'm sorry this is Fallen territory. Explanations will have to wait we aren't safe here." the apprehensive edge had crept into the Ghost's voice told him that this was not a time to argue, "I have to get you to the City, hold still." and with that the Ghost vanished.<p>

As his only guide to this strange new world vanished right in front of his eyes Jaune panicked, _how was he going to find his way anywhere? _He had absolutely no memory of this place in fact he could recall no memories of his life before waking up here except one, a woman about his age, her face framed by her wild fiery red hair. It was only a shattered fragment but it was suddenly the most important thing in the world to the blonde.

"Don't worry I'm still with you." The Ghost's voice came through over the radio in his helmet, "We won't survive out in the open like this lets get inside the wall."

Jaune stared at the imposing structure that stood imposingly before him, the giant structure was only a shell of its former glory the metal paneling that covered the internal structure was in a dilapidated state, pieces of rusted metal hung precariously in place or were missing completely revealing the skeleton beneath and green paint that had covered the wall was faded and flaking.

The sound of gunfire spurred him into action, the Guardian ran, his head down to avoid the incoming fire that threw up sparks from the car bodies he was weaving between. Ahead of him a flock of carrion birds scattered from the skeletons they had been picking at in the hope that maybe there was still flesh on those bones.

Shuddering as he sprinted past the empty eye sockets that stared accusingly at him, _why had he got the second chance, what was so special about him?_ Spotting a door as he forged on he changed direction slightly, without thinking through his plan entirely Jaune lowered his right shoulder. Flakes of rust showered around him as the ancient door was ripped from its frame, the old metal biting at his armour.

"That hurt…"he complained as he bounced off the far wall after taking a corner too quickly.

"I didn't bring you back just for you to die again…" the Ghost chastised as he sprinted through the winding corridors, "You need to find a weapon before the Fallen find us."

The walkway creaked and groaned loudly as his feet pounded against the metal surface and the last of the external light faded leaving only the pitch black shadows, "Quiet. They're right above us." the Ghost whispered.

Though he couldn't see it Jaune felt the tight oppressive corridors give way to a large open space, skidding to a stop Jaune tried to discern any movement that was out there. A small ball of light flickered into light flickered into life beside him as the Ghost reappeared, "Hang tight. Fallen thrive in the dark, we won't… I'll see what I can do…" As it flew away the Ghost cast a brilliant light which illuminated a small patch of the vast hall and threw disturbing shadows across the walls before vanishing completely leaving the unarmed Guardian alone in the swirling shadows.

The heavy silence that followed was disturbing, all Jaune wanted to do was to scream and shout just to break it, even if only for a second. But he didn't the darkness bore down keeping him silent…

"Another one of these hardened military systems… And a few centuries of entropy working against me." the Ghost's nonchalant ramblings were music his ears as several floodlights were forced into life.

However Jaune's elation at the return of the light was short lived as now before him stood the denizens of this darkness. Momentarily blinded by the sudden brightness they allowed the Ghost to slip through them and back to him, "They're coming for us!" it yelled but Jaune was already moving, he had spotted what he needed. Behind a partially lowered lattice gate a rifle leaned up against a crate, throwing himself forward he slid underneath the gate. Snatching up the rifle, he got to his feet and kept running.

Some form of instinct took over his body now that he had weapon's reassuring weight in his hands, for some reason it felt right, maybe even natural. Releasing the safety he pushed forward, luckily the clip was full he only hoped that his luck held out and that the firing mechanism wasn't rusted to hell like everything else in this God forsaken place, "I hope you know how to use that thing…"

The Guardian continued forward not wanting to look back at the hornet's nest he had inadvertently kicked; he could hear them in the pipes above him…

A piece of the ceiling fell through directly in front of and one of those… things his Ghost kept referring to as the 'Fallen' dropped down through the hole.

_No time to aim._ Jaune swung the butt of the gun forward, the metal making a satisfying cracking sound as it connected with the head of the alien. Not stopping to see what became of his adversary after it had fallen roughly to the ground he kept running his lungs beginning to burn, "The Fallen have a tighter hold on this place than I had thought. Let's hope there's still a ship that's flight worthy left out there…" Jaune grunted a grim agreement as another Fallen stepped into his path.

Lining up the red dot of the cracked sight of his rifle with the centre of the alien's chest he pulled the trigger. The shot flew wide, _this sight is useless! _Compensating for the damaged sight he fired again, this time a large dark hole opened up in the centre of the alien's head.

Stepping over the prone body the Guardian pushed forward into another empty room, the only other exit was through a hole in the side of the far wall. Jaune made a B-line for his exit which bought him out into the cold night air.

Before him stood several wrecked buildings but what drew his eye were the three giant towers that stood out stark against the night sky, "What, is this place?" he asked in awe of his surroundings.

"This was an old Cosmodrone…" the Ghost replied, "There's got to be a ship or something we can use to get out of here."

A blinding red light appeared in the sky as Jaune moved forward across the courtyard, shielding his eyes with his free hand he watched in horror as a huge cruiser warped into existence, the shock-wave created by its entry demolishing the two farthest towers and shaking the ground violently.

"What are Fallen ships doing so close to the surface?" his Ghost exclaimed.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Jaune yelled back taking cover behind a chest high wall as a Fallen patrol dropped into the courtyard.

"That was a rhetorical question."

Popping out from cover Jaune picked his shots knowing too well that the next one could be his last he counted his shots, "One… Two… Three… Four…Five" each word was punctuated by a single shot all of which hit their mark.

"I'm picking up signs of an old jumpship." his Ghost informed him, "It could be our ticket out of here."

"Where is it?"

"In the hangar up ahead, Dock 13."

The Guardian could hear movement within the hangar so he approached with caution; he poked his head through the doorway before quickly snapping back into cover.

"What is it what do you see?" the Ghost asked curious about the boy's reaction.

"S-see for yourself…"

* * *

><p>In the hangar looming over the jumpship suspended from the ceiling was the biggest Fallen either of them had ever seen, "That's a Devil Archon…"<p>

"I don't care what it is!" Jaune snapped, "Look at it it's huge! How the hell am I supposed to take it out?"

"You could try shooting it." the Ghost suggested, "It's seemed to work well for you so far…"

"Thanks for the advice." he replied his voice dripping with sarcasm.

The Archon had obviously heard them as it had stopped whatever it had been doing to the old jumpship and was approaching them slowly.

"Aww… Hell." he muttered as he stepped out of cover and raised his gun.

* * *

><p>Gunshots rang out filling the air with empty bullet casings and the smell of cordite as he let the automatic weapon chew through the last reserves of his ammo, fortunately the Archon had neglected to leave its shield up, its body was now paying the price for that mistake as the hail of lead raked across its chest and blew a chuck out of its head.<p>

The gun clicked empty several times before he slowly released his hold on the trigger his breathing heavy, with the Devil Archon dead Jaune advanced his body still shaking from the surge of adrenaline that had been dumped into his system towards the jumpship, it was a mess, the casings on the two large barrel shaped engines installed in the wing structures jutting out from either side of the pointed hull were cracked and broken and in some places missing entirely and the whole thing was covered in rust like everything else in this place.

"It's been here awhile." the Ghost informed him as it appeared at his side before floating up towards the ship, "Hasn't made a jump in centuries, although the time thing doesn't seem to really mean much at the moment, you haven't been up and walking for centuries but look at you now." it had meant for that to be a joke but the words obviously hit a nerve.

Jaune steeled himself knowing the answer to his question would not be a nice one but he asked anyway, "You've said that several times now, you know about how I was dead… What do you mean by that?"

"This really isn't a good time." the Ghost replied indignantly as it flew around the ship scanning the inevitably failing systems.

"I think straight after you did the whole Lazarus thing on me was a good time for an explanation." Jaune retorted angrily as the Ghost disappeared around the side of the ship.

"Would you believe me if I told you this was all a dream and if you do what I tell you'll wake?" the Ghost queried as it peeped out from behind one of the engines.

"Are you mocking me?"

"No…" the Ghost replied unconvincingly, a brief silence extended between the two. The Guardian folded his arms across his chest and looked directly at his floating companion, raising a single eyebrow like an unhappy parent.

"Fine let's make a deal," the Ghost said giving up. "I'll answer all your questions if you get in the ship. Sound fair to you?"

Jaune nodded his agreement, "Sounds fair. So will it fly?"

The Ghost focused his attention back on the ship before turning back to the Guardian, "I can make it work." In a sparkle of light the Ghost disappeared into the jumpship.

The cords that held the ship above the ground began to shake violently as the ancient engines were forced back into life, the turbines inside the engine screeched in complaint as they started turning, the wreck released plumes of rust and dust as the engines spluttered into life and then roared with flames as they took up the weight of the rest of the ship. The whole thing dipped as the docking cords released and it looked like the whole machine might destroy itself my smearing itself across the ground but its engines kept it in the air.

"I sense movement… We should get moving." Jaune's body tingled as his body broken down as the Ghost activated a transmat and pulled him into the ship.

* * *

><p>As jumpship pulled its old broken body from its tomb its engines howling as the Ghost struggled to hold them together, a Fallen Captain leveled its weapon at the rising ship; the Shrapnel Launcher would easily tear through the rusted hull of the Guardian's newly acquired transport. It didn't get to pull the trigger as a blade was drawn across its throat.<p>

As the body of the Fallen leader crumpled in the dirt a foot stepped over it, clad in crimson and bronze the lone figure watched as the ancient jumpship's engine dialed up to its maximum output. With a strained howl the ship threw itself forward into the sky vanishing into the horizon, "Jaune…"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: So guys how's it going? Hope you guys enjoyed the Destiny AU, along with The Ninja, the Faunus and the Spartan this story is going to have a really weird release schedule. The story is going to follow Destiny's main story line with Jaune taking the role of the player's Guardian, side missions will be referenced but Jaune won't take them on. I'm still working on a few things but there is one thing I want to ask should I use RWBY characters for the Vanguard leaders eg. Ozpin=The Speaker, Glynda Goodwitch=Ikora Rey, Oobleck=Cayde-6, Professor Port=Commander Zavala or just keep them as normal... <strong>


	2. The Tower

The old worn leather seat hugged Jaune's torso tightly keeping him from being thrown about in the rattling cockpit, "You said that you were going to tell me what the hell is going on when we jumped, so now that we have, would you care to expand?" the Guardian's voice shook with the movement of the ship and the residual adrenaline that remained in his blood.

"Ahh… To the crux of the matter…" his Ghost replied hesitantly, "You have been dead… For how long I couldn't tell you."

"Why me?" Jaune interrupted his voice filled with sadness, "There were so many others there, why do I get to live and not them."

"You are different; you carry the light of the Traveller… That is why I could bring you back, that is why you get a second chance, but that chance comes with some obligations."

"The Traveller… W-what are you talking about?"

"I see… The amnesia, it's not normal for us Ghosts to resurrect people to be Guardians, usually we find those who carry the light of the Traveller at a young age and they are trained to become Guardians. But I was drawn to you…"

"Who on Earth is the Traveller?" Jaune hadn't meant to shout but his frustration was evident.

"The question is not who, but what is the Traveller?" his Ghost replied unaware that the sarcasm wasn't helping.

"So… What… Is… The… Traveller?" the Guardian growled.

"That is."

Looking through the blast screen of the ship Jaune's breath caught in his throat as he caught his first glimpse of the sentinel that protected the last safe city, silhouetted by the setting sun, sitting over the vast walled city like a vigilant parent was a white orb the size of a small moon.

"What is that?" Jaune asked in awe, his voice barely audible.

"We call it the Traveller and its arrival was the beginning of the Golden age, it was a time of miracles, human lifespan tripled, great cities were built on Mars and Venus. Humanity stared out at the galaxy and knew it was their destiny to walk in the light of other stars." the Ghost explained wistfully.

A contemplative silence consumed the cabin as Jaune tried to form some small glimmer of understanding from the information he had been given, however his broken memory made him feel lost.

A burst of static from the crackling radio bought the pair back to their senses, "Unkno.. vessel, this is Tower c..trol, you are entering restr…ed airspace. State your business or be fired on." the transmission was patchy but the meaning was clear.

Before Jaune could reply his Ghost began to said a message in answer, "Tower control I am a Ghost bring a new Guardian to the Tower, sending encrypted pass-code, awaiting confirmation…"

"Confirmation of identity received," the voice coming over the radio said as a large structure appeared on the horizon, "Proceed to Docking Bay 42," the voice continued but Jaune was no longer listening. What Jaune assumed was the Tower his Ghost and the person on the other end of the radio were talking about.

With the superstructure looming up in front Jaune almost didn't notice as slowly all the automated control screens flickered off.

"This is bad! This is very, very bad!" the Ghost yelled as the pitch of the engines dropped.

"Do something!" the Guardian shouted as the already bumpy ride began to throw in a few extra more violent jerks for free.

"I can't," the Ghost called back in frustration, "I can only control this bucket of rust if the systems are running!"

The nose of the jumpship began to tilt forward as the altitude control cut out, "Oh crap, oh crap." Jaune screamed feeling a rising sensation in the pit of his stomach as gravity took control.

In a feat of desperation the Guardian grasped at the flight control stick in front of him and pulled back forcefully, he was thrown back into the deep leather seat as the ship reared up. Clinging on for dear life Jaune felt another wave of instinct similar to when he had snatched up the old rifle back at the Cosmodrone.

Wrestling control of the ship back from the powerful air currents that threatened to send the old jumpship into the side of the tower Jaune took the acceleration control, which was located to the left of the flight chair in his left hand and pushed it forward. The engines screamed like banshees as they were pushed beyond their limits. Leaving the sound of sheering metal in his wake Jaune bought the ship thundering up in front of a viewing platform sending the peopled who had gathered there scrambling backwards. Pulling further back on the flight stick the Guardian inverted the ship before flicking the stick to the left and rolling out of the manoeuvre.

"Which bay is number 42!" he yelled back to the Ghost.

"The only one with green lights at the entrance, they're guiding you in." the Ghost replied dutifully.

Aiming the nose of the vessel towards the opening Jaune pulled back on the thrusters, opening the air brakes to slow himself down as he neared the open hangar doors. Unfortunately this action was accompanied by the unholiest of screeching sounds as the air brakes tore themselves away from the hull of the ship, in an awfully cruel twist of fate one buried itself in the exposed turbine of the starboard engine and tore it to pieces.

With the sudden loss of thrust from the starboard engine the jumpship was forced into a flat spin as the port engine continued to push forward. With the jumpship careening out of control Jaune cut power to all the engines and put his head between his legs and prepared to kiss his ass goodbye.

The engineers who were scattered around the hanger bay's floor and lined its gangways ran for cover as several tons of metal tore through the area on its undercarriage. Slowly it drew to a halt and sat there rocking on the spot.

Breathing a huge sigh of relief as he raised his head Jaune thanked his lucky stars for his close escape, reaching up he pulled the emergency canopy release leaver sending the section of the ship shooting backwards. Gripping the side of the cockpit in his hands he pulled himself up onto his shaking legs, darkness swam at the edges of his vision as he passed out.

* * *

><p>The gathered crowd gasped as the boy who emerged from the wreck pitched forward, his limp body rolling down the side of the ship and on to the ground, two of the onlookers rushed forward to his side.<p>

Jaune moaned as his face was slapped lightly, "You're being too nice." a woman's voice said as he received a much more powerful strike. Jaune's eyes flickered open as he regained consciousness to reveal two blonde women looking down at him. The younger of the pair had a long thick mess of golden hair which seemed to glow with an unearthly power, while the older woman short light blonde hair. However this was not what was holding his attention the things that were holding it in two equal amounts were his view of the younger girls ample cleavage and the older woman's disapproving glare.

"Ms. Holiday how nice of you to come out and great us." the Ghost stated as it floated down from the ship.

"When you were given clearance to land that didn't mean you could ruin my hanger…" the older woman growled coldly.

"Umm… Well that was an unfortunately unavoidable accident." the Ghost replied in a careful measured tone as the older woman stood up and began to walk around the ruined jumpship.

"Can you stand?" the younger girl asked quietly, after Jaune gave her a quick nod in reply she gripped his right arm and helped him too his feet.

"So you're the new-blood, are you?" the older woman her question more of a statement rather than anything else, "You look a little old."

"He's a Category 4," the Ghost explained, the jargon going over Jaune's head, but from the muttering coming from the surrounding crowd told him this was something very unusual.

"A Cat-4," the older woman replied raising an eyebrow, "So Dead Man have you got a name?" she asked turning to face the recently resurrected Guardian.

"J-Jaune Arc," he managed to stutter out in reply, his mind was thrown into a loop with the new nickname as offered his hand in greeting.

"Okay Mr. Arc, introductions are always a good start, my name is Amanda Holliday I'm the Tower's Shipwright and the one in-charge down here." the older woman replied as she shook his hand.

"An Arcadia-class jumpship." Amanda let out a long whistle as she continued to work her way around the wreck, "These were some of the most common jumpships during the Golden Age but I've never seen one working in real life, I've stripped a few for parts but never seen one fly…"

"Can you fix it?" Jaune blurted out, raising a few eyebrows in the crowd and eliciting a confused look from the Shipwright. Jaune had no idea why he had asked that question, part of him could bear losing the ancient ship, the feeling he got in the short time he had flown it was indescribable, it felt like the pile of rust held some form of link to his past.

"Fix it? I'm surprised you were able to fly it in the state it I assume it was in before you crashed it."

"Please…" the Guardian was practically begging.

"Come on Mandy, stop teasing him you've fixed a lot worse." the younger girl spoke up from beside him.

A smile slowly began to form on the Shipwright's lips, "I would like to see it fly for myself…" Jaune's heart did back-flips of joy, as Amanda continued, "I'll make you a deal Dead Man I'll get this pile of junk working," she tapped the wing of the ship sending up a cloud of rust, "If you promise to never crash land it ever again."

Jaune stood-up as straight as he could and placed his hand over his heart, "I swear I'll protect with my life."

As he stood there performing this odd salute the Shipwright burst out laughing, "Yang get this Goofball out of here, if he's a Cat-4 the Speaker is gonna want to see him." she said wiping a tear from her eye.

The younger girl tugged at Jaune's arm, "Come on, Mandy is right you shouldn't keep the Speaker waiting he's a very busy man." even though she was several inches shorter than him the girl identified as Yang began to drag him away from his jumpship leaving the Shipwright to order her ground crew and mechanics as they prepared to rebuild the ancient machine.

"I could have told him that." the Ghost grumbled as it disappeared.

* * *

><p>Jaune tore his eyes away from the jumpship and turned his attention to the girl who had stopped dragging him in her wake and was now walking alongside him as they headed to the exit of the docking bays. She wore a low cut tight yellow top that showed off her ample cleavage, black shorts and a pair of sturdy brown thigh length boots, but more prominently was the tan leather jacket she wore over the top, an image of a glowing star formed by intricate intertwining patterns was picked out in gold thread across the back. The item of clothing had seen a lot of abuse in its life; the sleeves had been ripped off just above the elbows and secured down with black bands and the bottom of the coat had been cut away from the top of it just below the waist and was now being worn like a skirt held in place by a belt.<p>

"Like what you see?" the girl asked with a wink crossing her arms over her chest.

"Umm… Well…" Jaune looked away from the girl blushing in embarrassment from getting caught staring.

"Ahh, don't worry about I'm just messing with ya'," the girl laughed as she punched his arm, before continuing out of the hallway that led to the docking bay and out into a vast plaza. "So you're Jaune right, I'm Yang, Yang Xiao Long, Prodigal class Sunsinger." she said as she flicked her mane of hair out behind her.

"Uh huh…" Jaune nodded his head in reply.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about do you?" Yang asked flatly.

"None at all…" he admitted with a sigh.

Yang examined the boy as his eyes took in the majesty of the plaza, he looked around her age but being a Category 4 he could be any age, she had only ever met one other Cat-4 and he had been completely different to the boy who stood before her, he had exuded confidence where as Jaune just look like a lost child.

"How about I show you the ropes?" Yang offered.

"You'd do that?"

"Yeah, sure, why not?" she replied with a shrug, "You should probably see the Speaker first."

"Right, sounds like a plan… Who's the Speaker?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Sup guys, how's it hanging? Sorry about the amount of time its taken to get this chapter out, I haven't had much time inbetween eating, sleeping and uni work to do much writing but I have been mapping out the course of the overall story, so you know fingers crossed and all that.<strong>

**If anyone is wondering what the stuff Yang was saying about being a 'Prodigal class Sunslinger' its part of a hierarchy I made up to replace the level system, don't worry it'll get explained.**

** As always please R and R and leave a review or message me with any questions.**


	3. The Hierarchy

Jaune stared up at the Traveller; the view from the Speaker's chamber was incredible the vast sprawling stretching out beneath him, from the information Yang had given him he had deduced that this Speaker was the guy in charge of everything that went on at the Tower and the leader of the Guardians who lived there.

"Welcome to the last safe City on Earth… The only place the Traveller can still protect." the Ghost's said sombrely, "What you see before you took centuries to build. Now… We're counting every day it stays standing."

Silence descended over the pair and Jaune was left staring at the City, the last bastion of humanity.

"There was a time… When we were much more powerful…" Jaune turned to his left at the sound of the low voice, descending the steps that ran up the wall was a man; at least Jaune assumed it was a man from their voice. A white mask completely covered his face and thick white robes eliminated all the shape and form of his body.

"But that was long ago…" the Speaker continued forward approaching the new Guardian, "Until it wakes and finds its voice, I am the one who speaks for the Traveller."

Jaune stared at the blank mask that faced him unable to speak; the man had a presence that made him uneasy.

"You must have no end of questions, Guardian." The Speaker's statement was of course true but he still couldn't make himself answer, his words just caught in his throat.

"In its dying breath the Traveller created the Ghosts," the Speaker held his right hand out as Jaune's Ghost appeared beside him, "To seek out those who can wield its light as a weapon… Guardians such as yourself and Miss Xiao Long, to protect us, and do what the Traveller itself no longer can."

"W-what happened to it?" Jaune asked finally breaking his silence as he found himself looking up at the silent sentinel that hovered above the Tower.

The Speaker turned his head away, "I could tell you of the great battle, centuries ago… How the Traveller was crippled. I could tell you of the power of the Darkness the Traveller's ancient enemy… There are many tales, told throughout the City to frighten children… Lately those tales have stopped." the Speaker turned to face him once again, "Now… The children are frightened anyway."

Jaune what to say something anything just to get a clear answer, but held his tongue as it was obvious the masked man hadn't finished speaking.

"The Darkness is coming back. We will not survive it this time."

For the first time since the beginning of the meeting the Ghost spoke up, "Its armies surround us. The Fallen are just the beginning."

"The Traveller has given you a second chance at life Guardian; it is yours to do with as you wish." the Speaker said flatly, "But I implore you to help us push back the Darkness. Guardians are fighting on Earth and beyond to reclaim everything humanity had once called its own."

Jaune glanced over at his Ghost, before walking away from both it and the Speaker, marching across to the giant opening at the far side of the chamber he stood leaning against a hand rail and stared out at the city. He couldn't claim to know much about this world but as he scanned the ramshackle buildings that formed the last safe city he knew he had to do something, the Speaker was right he had been given a second chance he might as well do something meaningful with it.

"What can I do?" he asked quietly pushing himself away from the edge and facing the masked man.

"Join them Guardian. You're Ghost will guide you, I only hope it chose wisely." and with those words the Speaker was finished, the masked man just walked away without another single word leaving Jaune to show himself out.

"I did… I'm sure of it. We're in this together now." the Ghost added encouragingly as Jaune left the room before disappearing again.

"You're one of us!" Yang exclaimed startling Jaune as she jumped out of the shadows and picking him up into a bone crushing hug.

As he fought for breath Jaune tried to form a sentence, "Y-Yang c-c-could you p-put me down…" he gasped.

The blonde girl released him allowing air to flood back into his lungs, "You had me going there for a bit Jauney-boy, I thought you were gonna tell the old man to take a hike."

"Yeah…" Jaune scratched the back of his head, "I'm not sure how much help I'm gonna be…"

The sound of bare skin hitting bare skin resounded around the corridor as Yang slapped him, "What was that for?" he yelled at the other blonde as he cradled the sore side of his face in his hands.

"That's for being overly modest, I read the mission report you're Ghost filed while you were talking with the Speaker… You killed Riksis, he was a bloody Archon!"

"I got lucky…" Jaune shrugged before cowering away from Yang as she raised her right hand again, "Okay, okay, okay… Point taken…"

Yang flashed him a smug smile as she lowered her hand, "Okay Dead Man I said I would give you the…" the female Guardian stopped herself mid-sentence as a pained expression passed across Jaune's face. Quickly realising her mistake she back tracked as fast as she could, "O god I'm so sorry I didn't mean to insult you."

The male Guardian gave her a weak smile, "I-its o-okay…"

"I-I thought you were okay with the nickname because you know… You didn't correct Amanda, and well…" in an unusual turn of events Yang was getting flustered, "D-do you want to talk about it?"

She began to panic as Jaune said nothing in reply and an uncomfortable silence began to drag out between them, "There's not much to talk about…" he sighed.

"So you've got some memories!" Yang exclaimed clutching at what seemed to be good news, "That's got to be good right!"

"Just one…"

"What is it?"

"I don't really want…"

"Aww come on don't be like that, come on tell me." Yang pushed the point.

Jaune looked into the enthusiastic blonde girl's eyes noticing their usual lavender colour; Yang was probably the closest thing he had to a friend at the moment, unless of course he counted the Ghost, but if he was honest with himself he saw the little floating cube like a manager of some form. He was going to have to talk with someone about it so why not the spunky blonde girl in front of him.

"It was a girl's face." he confessed much to Yang's relief as she was sure she had pushed him a bit more.

"Ooooo… Someone I should be jealous of?" she joked.

"I-I don't know…" Yang mentally kicked herself for being so insensitive, of course he didn't know he would have explained who they were if he did.

Yang changed tack, "What did she look like?" she asked softly.

Jaune drew in a deep breath as he summoned up the only memory he had of his old life, "She has long crimson hair that cascades down around her shoulders, deep emerald eyes and her smile…"

Yang clicked her fingers in front of the blonde boy's face as he began to look wistfully into the distance, "Hey! Earth to Jaune."

"Huh… What?" Jaune grunted as he shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"I lost you for a minute there." Yang said with a smirk.

"Oh I'm sorry."

"Ah don't worry about," the girl replied with a shrug, "Let's get back to the grand tour."

Jaune nodded in agreement, happy to be off such an awkward topic, _why had she even asked a question like that? Was she actually jealous? _Jaune brushed that thought aside quickly, _yeah and hell has just frozen over_, he chided himself the other blonde was probably just making a joke at his expense.

"Okay before I show you around I'm going to explain how things are organized around here." Yang had lead them to a bench in a secluded corner that overlooked the city, a few metres away were a group of men in matching red coats who seemed too absorbed in their own conversation to pay them any attention. "You might want to sit down its going to take a while." Taking his seat Jaune watched as Yang took a piece of chalk out of her pocket and began to draw of the ground in front of him.

"As you know the Speaker is in-charge of the Guardians," Yang added a picture of the Speaker's mask at the top of the diagram, "However there are three Orders of Guardians; the Titans, the Hunters and the Order I am a part of the Warlocks, each of these Orders governs itself. The Speaker gives direction to the Orders through the Vanguards." Three names were written below the Speaker, "The current Vanguards are Commander Zavala, Cayde-6 and Ikora Rey, and while they represent their Orders they are not necessarily the leaders of their Order." Yang paused glancing over to check the boy was still following her explanation.

"Each of the Orders has its own hierarchy and structure. The Titans are led by their Commander who also acts as their Vanguard; Titans are ranked according to their strength in ascending order these ranks are the Leviathans, the Behemoths, the Goliaths and the Colossi. There can be any number of each rank they need only prove themselves." Under the heading 'Titans' Yang had drawn four grumpy faces which gradually increased in size.

"Next we have the Hunters, they are possibly the most diplomatic of the Orders, they don't have any defined leaders rather they have something they call the Consensus, broadly speaking the Consensus is a meeting held every few months to which any member of the Order regardless of their rank may attend if they wish during which decisions are made about how the Order will be run until the following meeting and when necessary vote for who should be their Vanguard."

Jaune raised his hand waiting for Yang to acknowledge him before asking his question, a brief nod from the blonde girl told him he was allowed to speak. "How do they ever get anything done?" sure the whole idea sounded nice but extremely ineffective.

"I have no idea," Yang admitted before adding with a shrug, "But it seems to work for them."

With no other argument Jaune nodded an agreement.

"The Hunters are ranked in terms of their experience in the field, the names sometimes change but currently they are referred to, in ascending order; Devana rank, Artemis rank, Orion rank and Neith rank."

The blonde girls doodling was in Jaune's opinion starting to get slightly weirder, like when she had drawn he Titan ranks there were four faces all of whom had a bow on their heads, "Do the bows have any significance that I should know about?" he asked tentatively.

"Huh-wha… N-no not really I just thought they were cute." Yang blurted out as she looked up from her work.

"Okay…" Jaune replied slowly, he was more than a little puzzled he could have sworn the girl had blushed slightly.

The female Guardian cleared her throat; tucking a few strands of her golden mane behind her ear she continued working.

"Finally there are the Warlocks; we're a bit different from the other Orders…"

"In what way?"

"Unlike the other Orders who allow those who prove themselves to achieve the highest ranks in their Order, the Warlocks don't. There are only ever three Clerics, they are considered to be the wisest or most powerful amongst our ranks."

"Why only three?" the male Guardian asked leaning forward in his seat.

The blonde girl gave a shrug in reply, "It's always been that way."

"So who are these Clerics?"

Yang began to count off names on her fingers, "First off there's the Warlock Vanguard, Ikora Rey, remember I mentioned her earlier?" Jaune gave a quick nod of affirmation, "Then there's Glynda Goodwitch, our Crucible instructor and finally there's Haruto."

"What does he do?" Jaune asked when his fellow blonde was not forthcoming with the information

"Nothing much really he's blind and over three hundred years old, never the less he is probably the most powerful Warlock alive but that might not be for much longer with how his health is deteriorating." an edge of sadness was creeping into the girl's voice.

"Yang are you alright?" he asked getting out of his seat and approaching the girl who had her back to him.

"I'm fine." the girl said her voice shaky as she wiped her face with her sleeve and turned to face him a smile on her face.

Though the smile was obviously forced, he dropped the matter; it was obviously something very personal and they had only just met. Crouching down beside the girl he examined the diagram Yang had drawn below the heading Warlocks was a single crudely drawn face, Jaune stared down at the image, it took him a few seconds to realise it was a self-portrait of Yang smirking and winking back at him.

"The other ranks in the Warlock Order are; the Magus, the Adepts and the Prodigals."

"You said you were a Prodigal didn't you, you must be pretty strong then."

"Oh you remembered that…" Yang replied standing up and striking what Jaune guessed she thought was a heroic pose, "Well I don't like to boast but yeah I'm kind of a big deal around here." once again in what was rapidly becoming her signature move Yang flicked her long hair back over her shoulder.

Jaune stood a grin on his face, "Well I'm honoured someone of your status would stoop down to help someone like me," he teased adding a bow to over emphasise his point.

"Shut up." Yang laughed punching him in the arm as he stood up straight again.

"Guardians." another voice interrupted their reverie, standing on the other side of the female Guardian's diagram was a man with short dark hair and a beard, dressed all in red he was obviously a member of the group they had passed earlier. "Could I take a moment of your time to discuss with you the goals of New Monarchy?"

"Aww… we'd love to but we've be called to meet with the Vanguards." Yang answered quickly flashing the man an apologetic smile as she grabbed Jaune's arm and began to lead him away from the newcomer.

"Of course Guardians, I'm sorry to have hindered you…" the man in red replied politely, offering a small bow as they walked past.

"Who was he?" Jaune asked once the man was out of earshot.

"That was Executor Hideo, the representative of New Monarchy." Jaune's blank face forced Yang to continue her explanation, "He represents one of the three opposing factions that are vying for the support of the Guardians, just ignore them, stick with the Vanguards don't get wrapped up in their power struggle."

Yang expertly led the way through the long winding corridors that linked the large open areas of the tower, "Miss Xiao Long how did you know that the Vanguards had orders for Jaune?" Jaune's Ghost asked appearing beside the male Guardian.

"She didn't." another voice replied before Yang could open her mouth to reply, Jaune looked around for the source of the voice sounded surprisingly familiar. "Over here Guardian."

Jaune's focus was drawn to another Ghost that floated just above Yang's head, the vibrant flame pattern that covered it contrasting the plain white of his own Ghost, "Miss Xiao Long has such a terrible habit of lying."

"I think it's better to think of it as offering false truths to avoid hurting their feelings" Yang replied with a chuckle.

"Of course you do…" the girls Ghost replied rolling its body in a way that resembled someone rolling their eyes, Yang laughed as she pushed her Ghost away from her face. "However Mr Arc your Ghost is correct you have orders to meet with the Vanguards and Miss Xiao Long you have orders to accompany him." with nothing left to add the vibrantly coloured Ghost disappeared.

"Are all Ghosts as unfriendly as that?" Jaune asked while silently hoping that his own Ghost would not turn out like Yang's.

"Nah… Ghosts are all pretty unique personality wise, mine was selected to contrast my vibrant personality and calm me down." Yang replied waving her hand dismissively in the air as she continued off down the corridor, "And anyway who could temper someone who burns as bright as I do." she added flashing a smirk back over her shoulder.

Jaune was rooted to the spot as the beautiful girl walked away from him, her swaying form silhouetted by the rapidly setting Sun, the rays of light reflected off her hair wreathing her in an ethereal glow.

"You can stop staring anytime you want you know." the Ghost muttered in his ear.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey guys how's it going I know there's a tonne of explanations and world building in this chapter but please just bear with me.<strong>

**I hope the structure of each of the Orders was easy to understand it was a pain to write it into the dialogue without resorting to list of information if you have any questions review or PM and I'll get back to you ASAP.**

**As I obviously can't have the game's leveling up system I have given the Orders a ranking system Guardians obtain higher ranks by proving themselves this is somewhat arbitrary when compared to a standard leveling system where you commit enough murderous acts against the enemy and bingo you level (proving yourself means something different to each of the different Orders), however the highest ranks (Colossus, Neith and Cleric) are only achieved by completing a test. These will be known as the Test of Strength, Test of Cunning and Test of Will. I'm not gonna spoil what they entail, I'll leave you to speculate on what they mean.**

**Other characters will be making their appearances pretty soon, anyway please R and R, PM me with any questions and I'll see you on the flip side.**


	4. A kind welcome Maybe?

The Hall of the Guardians was not as grand as its name suggested Jaune mused as Yang led him into the dark low ceilinged room, several computer terminals operated by robots lined the walls. The only decorations were four large banners which Yang had informed him bore the insignias of the three Orders. In a depression stood a large table its surface covered in maps, star charts and tomes of ridiculous sizes, surrounding it were four people; two female Humans, an Awoken male and according to Yang a male Exo. When Yang had told him of the race of sentient machines which had a gender identity Jaune had been sure she was pulling his leg but after seeing several female Exos around the tower he now believed her.

"But Vanguard Rey don't you think you're being unreasonable my recent scores have been exemplary, higher than both of the current Apprentice Clerics." Jaune's attention was drawn to the youngest of the humans, the short girl had silvery white hair that was pulled into an off centre ponytail and skin so pale it resembled porcelain, a long coat a similar to Yang's except maybe a little shorter and the same colour to the girls hair was wrapped tightly around her small frame.

"With all due respect your exceptional skill is matched only by your poor attitude." the older woman replied her voice remaining low and unwavering as she stared down the smaller girl.

"How dare you!"

"My point exactly… Ahh, Yang you've bought him." much to the annoyance of the white themed girl the dark skinned woman turned her back on her and gave Yang and Jaune her full attention.

Realising that the woman would not listen to her any longer the girl turned on her heel and stormed towards the exit, "Yang." she said curtly as she passed.

"Weiss." the blonde girl replied with a polite nod.

"Cayde, Zavala the Cat-4 is here." the woman said to the two men behind her their heads still buried in their work.

"Has she gone?" the male Exo asked a hint of amusement in his robotic voice.

"I understand her frustration, her situation is difficult but must she bring her arguments here?" the Awoken asked as he and the Exo joined the woman in a line in front of Jaune.

Several seconds of uncomfortable silence permeated the room, "Yang don't you think introductions are in order?" the woman asked.

"O right, yeah sorry." Yang stuttered as she turned to face the other blonde Guardian, "Jaune these are the Vanguards, Commander Zavala the Titan Vanguard." The bald powerfully built Awoken man gave a small inclination of his head in greeting his piercing blue eyes not leaving Jaune.

"Ikora Rey, the Warlock Vanguard."

"A pleasure to meet you." the dark skinned woman also gave a small nod of her shaven head.

"And Cayde-6, the Hunter Vanguard."

"Hey how's it going?" the male Exo asked giving a jaunty smile and a small wave.

"Vanguards, this is Jaune Arc the recently resurrected Category 4." Yang concluded.

"Thank you Yang you may leave." Ikora said bluntly as she shot the younger Guardian a glare that said the offhand comment was an order that should not be ignored.

"Oh… Right… Of course Vanguard Rey." Yang replied, "I'll wait for you outside." she whispered retreating back through the entrance they had come through under the older woman's gaze.

Yang looked back at the new Guardian through the rapidly closing gap as a set of large doors were closed between her and Jaune, with a sigh she ascended the stairs at the opposite end of the corridor and out into the sunlight that illuminated the Tower's central plaza.

"Yang." a raspy voice called out, the blonde Guardian quickly turned to the familiar voice.

"Master Haruto! Are you sure you are well enough to be up?" she asked as she hurried over to the old man who was leaning down on his twisted wooden walking stick his wrinkled leathery skin looking a little better than it had the day before.

"Does the flower not need the sunlight to grow?" the old man replied cryptically as he turned his blind gaze towards her. Yang's lavender orbs traced the lines of scar tissue that covered the man's face grimacing at the pattern of hatred her predecessor had left on his skin when in a fit of rage they had unloaded a single shotgun round into his face.

"Something is troubling you." the Cleric stated solemnly, "You are thinking about her again aren't you."

Yang didn't reply the man's words were not a question but a statement of fact; after all he had always been able to read her like a book. "You are not like her… Your unwillingness to take the Test of Will stands testament to that."

"It's because I'm not ready, I'm not strong enough."

The Cleric sighed deeply as he turned his face back towards the sun, "And who do you suppose among the Order is ready?"

"Velvet o-or W-Weiss." Yang replied her normally strong and confident demeanour fading as the man continued to speak.

"Ahh… And now we find the root of the problem…" he muttered inaudibly, "And why do you think they are better suited than you to be the next Cleric."

"V-Velvet has been an Apprentice Cleric for several years now; she has more experience than I do."

"Miss Scarlatina is very powerful but she is too timid, too passive. What about Miss Schnee? Why should she be chosen over you?"

"Well the only reason she isn't an Apprentice is…"

"Her rather unique situation." the Cleric finished for her, "She cannot take the Voidwalker's Test of Will, because of the actions of her ancestors she is not able to prove her understanding of what it truly means to be alone."

"She knows what it means to be alone better than anyone…" the young Guardian muttered under her breath.

"How so?" the old man asked.

"Well the Test of Will that the Voidwalkers conduct requires the Apprentice to spent nine months in isolation on the Reef, but Weiss has always been alone. Despised by the Awoken for the war her family started and avoided by other Guardians because of it. Not to mention abandoned by her family because she chose to be a Guardian…" Yang's voice rose in volume with her rising anger, "Sure Goodwitch and Rey did their Trial and passed but they always had someone to turn to… I-it's just not fair…"

"You are wise beyond your year's young one." Haruto replied placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You may be right but it is not our place to tell the Voidwalkers what they should do."

"Of course Master Haruto." Yang replied with a small nod.

"Well now that we are in agreement about that; let's move on to a different topic." the blind man said as he walked off without her, Yang had little trouble catching him up only needing a few quick steps to put her at the man's side once again, "So how is our recently resurrected friend? It seems you've taken quite an interest in him."

* * *

><p>"So your Aura is still yet to manifest itself… This could be problematic…" Jaune's day had gone decidedly downhill as it had progressed, after a brief questioning from the Vanguards that only seemed to verify that his memory has shattered he had been sent straight to meet a man going by the name Lord Shaxx, the giant of a man was a Colossus rank Titan and the Crucible Handler which among other things put him in charge of the training of all new Guardians. But the huge veteran who claimed to be able crush boulders with his bare hands, a point Jaune was happy to agree with him on after being offered a demonstration, was positively cuddly compared to the woman currently standing over him.<p>

Jaune sighed as he heard the clacking footsteps of his new 'mentor' approaching, Glynda Goodwitch one of the Crucible's Instructors had been put in charge of helping him manifest his Aura, that was of course using the word helping in its loosest meaning as the woman just seemed to be using her Warlock powers to throw him around the training arena.

A set of impossibly shiny high heeled boots appeared in front of his vision, tracing the path up the woman's body to her face Jaune once again examined the woman. Her deep green eyes looked disapprovingly at him from behind her wire rim glasses, "Get up Mister Arc," she ordered brushing a few errant strands of her light blonde hair back into place.

Jaune forced his heavy limbs to push his body back onto its feet, "I think he has had enough for today, don't you Glynda?"

Jaune turned to look at his saviour, a tall thin man with neat grey hair was approaching a coffee mug clutched in his right hand a cane in his left, "The man has not slept since he was brought back maybe you should let him rest." the man's voice had an air of authority but remained completely passive as he spoke, "I'll have one of the other students show him to the dormitories."

The Warlock Cleric took one last look at the young Guardian before turning away from him, "Fine let him rest, just make sure you're back here tomorrow, eight o'clock sharp, I do not like to be kept waiting…" she said waving her hand dismissively as she left.

As the Warlock disappeared down one of the many corridors that led away from the main training hall Jaune turned to thank the man. "Hi!" Jaune leapt back in fright as he was confronted by a small girl clad in a black jumpsuit with a long flowing red cape, instead of the man who had saved him from the relentless assault of his instructor. Because of his quick flinch reaction the girl also jumped away in fright her shoulder length black hair with its red highlights nearing the tips falling in front of her pale silver eyes.

Awkwardly the newly made acquaintances recovered from their shock, "Oh I'm sorry I didn't see you there." Jaune apologized as he caught a glimpse of his coffee mug wielding saviour disappearing into the stands that surrounded the central arena.

"Yeah… I sorry for sneaking up on you like that…" the girl replied with a nervous chuckle her hands wringing the ends of her cape, "I was told that I had to show you to the dormitories."

"O right… Y-yeah that would be great." Jaune replied rubbing the back of his neck nervously as the girl directed him to follow her, she looked a lot younger than any of the other Guardians he had seen around the Tower and he couldn't help but wonder what had led her to this life.

"By the way I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose." the bubbly girl introduced herself as she led him through the winding corridors.

"Jaune Arc." the male Guardian replied before an awkward silence opened up between them.

"So I'm assuming you're new here." Ruby said offering him a small smile.

"Yeah green as grass." he replied before another awkward silence consumed them.

_How can it be so hard to talk to this girl?_ Jaune asked himself as he searched for something to talk about, the conversation had flowed easily when he had been talking to Yang.

"Here we are." relief was audible in the smaller girl's voice, Jaune shared the sentiment the crushing silence they had endured had been unbearable.

The room he was ushered into was huge easily swamping the training hall he had just been in, laid out in neat orderly rows before him were hundreds if not thousands of beds, both occupied and vacant. Jaune stared at the scene in front of him, Guardians in various stages of dress wandered between the rows greeting friends and acquaintances, gathered in groups discussing amongst themselves or bundled under their sheets quietly snoring.

"Jaune over here!" Ruby called from a few rows away, "There are two free beds here."

"Y-you just take any of the beds?" he queried joining her beside the two vacant camp beds.

"Yeah just claim yours before someone else does!" the younger girl replied pushing him on to one of the beds.

His landing wasn't as soft as he expected, grunting as he landed he quickly repositioned himself as he was jabbed painfully in the backside by a broken spring. "They're not brilliant but they beat sleeping on the floor or even worse camping out on the surface." Ruby said pulling off her cloak and depositing it at the end of her bed, "Goodwitch was putting you through hell earlier wasn't she?" the girl asked as her Ghost appeared beside her, its red and black shell matching her own colour scheme perfectly.

"Yeah…" Jaune sighed as a glimmering sheen coated the younger girl's body, as the flashing subsided Ruby was revealed, standing in a set of pyjamas the black trousers were covered in little red hearts while the top had a cartoon dog across the front. "Umm… What just happened?"

"I changed…" Ruby replied slowly the face she was making asking him if he was stupid.

"What was with all the flashing lights then?"

"Wow you weren't kidding you really are a noob." she chuckled, "I transmatted my armour to storage and bought my PJs here. It's a pretty awesome system no need to carry around any spare equipment or a change of clothes, so are you gonna changed or are you sleeping in that old combat suit of yours?"

"Not possible at the moment." Jaune's Ghost interrupted, "Your uplink to storage is not set-up yet, and anyway you don't have a change of clothes."

Jaune groaned audibly as he realised what this meant, he started work undoing all the zippers and buckles that held the hard-points of the suit. "W-what are you d-doing?" Ruby stuttered as he pulled of the jumpsuit he wore of the top of his body, the younger Guardian had her hands covering her eyes. A wolf whistle came from a few beds away, "Let's see a little more!" a female Guardian cat called, "Welcome to the gun show!" another added much to the ire of some of the male Guardians. Jaune looked down at his welled toned abs and upper, apparently he had been a fitness fanatic before he had died.

"Cover yourself up will you!" Ruby shouted throwing the sheets from her bed over his head.

"Won't you need these?" Jaune asked as he pulled the swathes of cloth around his shoulders.

"No I'll be fine; you're going to need them more than I will it can get pretty chilly." the girl replied as she wrapped her long red cloak around her and curled up on her bed.

"Surely that means you'll need them."

"Don't worry about me a good Hunter's cloak can be used as a hull patch, bandage, tourniquet, pressure seal, picnic blanket or you know as a regular blanket." without another word the Hunter rolled over signalling it was time for bed.

With a small shrug of his shoulders Jaune took to his own bed, removing the lower half of his jumpsuit under the covers in an attempt to safeguard his decency. As he lay his head down on the pillow that had be provided his thoughts drifted to Yang, he hadn't seen her when he had left the Hall of Guardians, to say he had been disappointed would be an understatement but if he was honest he hadn't expected her to hang around, closing his eyes he promptly fell asleep.

"Jaune…" the Ghost called, "Jaune, there's a message for you…" when he didn't respond the Ghost vanished, "I guess it can wait till tomorrow…"

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Hey guys as always sorry for the random release date but its unlikely to get better for the foreseeable future... sorry. Anyway who's hyped for 'The Dark Below' cause I know I am! Any modifications to the classes eg. the hints of new sub-classes are going straight in here but story elements, well your gonna have to wait for those.<p>

I thought I should address some of the comments and messages I've received about this being a crossover and how I should move it to said section, personally (and I say this because its only my own opinion and not an attempt to start an argument) I feel that Destiny as an RPG game is a universe into which you can insert different characters into the universe and have it run as a single entity. When I make my player character look like me and go around playing as myself it doesn't make the game a crossover with my own life, applying the same reasoning to this story I call it an AU fiction. This is just my opinion if you believe that I should change my stance on the matter, you are welcome to your opinion.

Like I will keep saying I'm not looking to antagonize anyone or start an argument because let's face it one person can't do much against the Internet. I hope this clears things up for people :)

P.S. Who caught the reference to the Dustwalker Cloak?


	5. The First Nightmare

**Edit: Woah guys the response for the call up has been awesome there are three places left, who's Light is the strongest?**

* * *

><p>Lead filled the air saturating it with a thick buzzing sound, like a swarm of angry wasps, sparks few of the chassis of abandoned cars as bullets ricocheted of the make shift cover. The soldier looked to his left his fireteam huddled down against the wave of incoming fire, he could tell that behind their blank helmets they were scared and he couldn't blame them he was pretty sure he was going to piss himself with fright. His attention was drawn back to the firefight as something thudded into the ground to his right, sticking out of the ground was what appeared to be some sort of handle, electricity arced around as a high pitched beeping sound was emitted from the device.<p>

Pupils dilating as he realised what the device was the soldier dived on top of it as the grenade detonated. Lighting danced across his body, tendrils of pain worked their way through him like wires running under his skin eliciting a horrific scream that tore through his throat. His vision swam as the corners began to fade, "He's not breathing!" the voice was distant but the sorrow in it was evident. There was a pressure on his chest; one of the members of his fireteam was pushing down on his chest trying to restart his heart, to get him to breathe again. He tried to say their name as he reached his right hand up towards their face, but all that escaped his lips was a rasping wheeze.

"Ssshhh... Don't say anything!" they ordered as they forced his hand down, "Save your strength!"

His vision blurred as his body began to shut down, "He's gone we have to go Py…" the soldier's hearing failed him as the final member of the fireteam tried to drag his other teammate away from his prone body.

"No we can't leave him!"

"I'm sorry but we have to go." the more pragmatic teammate insisted as they grabbed the collar of their grieving teammate and pulled them away from the defeated soldier. The soldier's vision flickered and he caught sight of a flash of crimson hair before it failed completely.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey guys I know his chapter is super short but its meant to be like that. And the next chapter is right around the corner so don't panic. In a few chapters time there's gonna be so Crucible action and I don't want to fill out the roster with Ruby characters so I'm kind of putting out a call for Guardians. <strong>

**All I need is their Gender, Race, Focus/Sub-class, a brief description ie. skin tone, hair style and colour, eye colour and any distinguishing features, the armour they wear (please choose one of the standard sets, Exotics and Raid gear are going to be unique in the story) and the weapon type you like to use primarily (I prefer to use a shotgun combined with my melee in the Crucible).**

**I need your Light Guardians.**


	6. A Bet

Jaune woke with a start, his body coated in a cold sweat his mind fuzzy as he tried to clutch to the fragments of his dream as they faded away. The dormitories were bathed in a low light to accommodate the majority of the Guardians that were asleep; those who were awake were operating by the guiding light of their Ghosts. Jaune shook his head to clear his thoughts the nightmare, whatever it was had woken him up every night for the past four days, the glowing giant digital clock that was mounted on the far wall read 7:25am resigning himself to the fact he only had another thirty-five minutes until Vanguard Goodwitch would be expecting him in the training hall he dragged himself from the bed and drowsily looking around at the other Guardians, Ruby was a few beds away still very much asleep her red cloak rising and falling with her breathing, to his left a male human in a long green shirt and white trousers had his gun laid out in pieces on his bed as he meticulously cleaned each individual piece. Next to him was an Awoken girl was reading by the light of her Ghost, her raven black hair tied black with a bow, "It's rude to stare." she said flatly her amber eyes flicking towards him briefly before returning to her book.

"I-I'm sorry," the blonde Guardian mumbled in reply as turned away from the girl, holding out his left hand he summoned his Ghost. "Have you been able to contact Yang?"

The blonde girl had sent him a message during his first night at the Tower apologizing for her absence explaining that she had been called away by one of the Clerics for a patrol, she hadn't specified where she was but he reasoned that there was a perfectly normal reason for her secrecy. Unfortunately where ever she was he had been unable to contact her and now he was beginning to worry.

"No luck… I'll keep trying though." the Ghost replied, "Combat suit?"

Jaune nodded in reply as his Ghost activated the connection to the storage and he was wreathed in a glittering glow, which elicited a few annoyed groans from the nearby Guardians, "Sorry…" he whispered.

* * *

><p>"Remembertoconcentrateonyourtarget, picturetheminyourmindandallowyourlighttocontrolyouractions, thatisthekeytousingtheGoldenGun." Ruby was only half-listening to the instructor; it was hard to keep up with the man when he spoke so fast that his words strung together into one long blur, coincidently that was how he appeared to anyone who tried to track his movements, rumour had it that the Hunter with the wild green hair had learned to 'Blink' from the Warlocks.<p>

Ruby new how to wield her Light, she was considered a prodigy by the strongest of the Hunters and an upstart by those she outshone. In quite the contrast to the short scarves of her fellow Devana rank Hunters, her long flowing red cloak showed the faith Cayde-6 had in her. She still remembered the words he had said the day he had given it to her, "If you learn nothing else, learn this: when a Hunter takes up the cloak of a dead comrade, this is a vow. She was more than a comrade to you…"

"Ready," the instructor's call came from down the line of trainee Hunters, seventeen Golden Guns flickered into life. Ruby felt the warm glow that emanated from within the weapon, "Aim," grinning as she forced her power into the raging supernova that was the core of the weapon making it glow brighter; she levelled the Hand Canon at the target, a Cabal Phalanx target dummy, the giant mass of ballistic gel cowering behind a giant shield taken as a trophy from its living counterpart long ago. It wasn't an easy shot there were only three ways around a Cabal shield without repositioning. Shoot the gun hand making them flinch and drop their guard, not an option with a training dummy, also a waste of ammunition. Through the shield, not possible with standard ammo but, a possibility with sustained fire using Iridium core rounds or two shots powerful shots from a Golden Gun, all a waste of perfectly good ammo. The third and final option was the small blast glass screen that the Phalanx would use for target acquisition, offset to her left five inches high and fifteen across.

"Fire!" the Instructor called as seventeen Hunter's fired, the shots echoing around the hall. The gun recoiled violently but her aim and focus was true. The bolt of solar energy arced slightly to compensated for the angle she was stood at, down the line more shots were fired as her fellow trainees tried to burn their way through the shields of their targets. The blast glass reflected the light like hundreds of tiny mirrors as it shattered; the bolt continued its course not deviating from the impact the inferno contained within it melting the ballistic gel as it carved its path through the dummies' head and into the wall beyond. One shot, one kill.

Ruby drew back her Light storing the power for later use this training session was far from over, there was little point in wasting her energy, "Perfect Miss Rose!" the metallic tint to the humorous tone telling her who was approaching, "Oobleck don't make her play with these toys, you're wasting her potential." Cayde-6 laughed as he ruffled the red themed girl's hair, a cry of pain from the centre of the training hall interrupted his train of conversation.

The focus of everyone in the hall was now focused on the two people who had claimed the central practice area, "She still bullying the new kid?" the Hunter Vanguard asked as his eyes followed the Warlock Cleric who strode towards the figure lying in the dirt, "You know I once fancied her."

"W-wha… What!" Ruby exclaimed much to the amusement of the Exo.

"I know, she's terrifying."

Ruby winced as Jaune was thrown to the ground again with a casual wave of Goodwitch's hand.

"A friend of yours? I'm surprised you've met him."

"Ozpin had me show him to the dormitories on his first evening and we've talked a bit."

"Did he now…" the Vanguard began to stroke his chin, his metal fingers tracing the intricate machinery of his jaw, "Come with me." he beckoned as he stepped toward the central ring.

* * *

><p>"Stand up." Jaune obliged the Cleric, she was going easy on him, he could tell. It did mean that a small singularity ripping apart the very fabric of space next to you didn't hurt any less.<p>

"Cleric Goodwitch!" a cheery voice called as it approached.

"Go away Cayde. I'm not interested." the Voidwalker replied harshly and rather quickly.

"That's Vanguard Cayde-6, to you." the Exo replied a smirk plastered across his face, as Jaune looked up at him he noticed the small red-themed girl behind him.

"What do you want Cayde?" Goodwitch replied not rising to his taunts.

"I propose a bet."

"A bet." the Cleric replied obviously unimpressed.

"Yeah one of my students," the man gestured to Ruby who froze in fear as Goodwitch turned her gaze on to the girl, "Against yours." Cayde nodded to Jaune.

"I think not." Goodwitch snorted but before she could turn away the Vanguard moved in next to her whispering something inaudible in her ear, a grim look passed across the Cleric's face before she nodded.

"What are the conditions of this bet?" she asked raising an eyebrow as he stepped away from her.

"I win and you join me for a pleasant evening of quiet conversation over dinner," Goodwitch's eyes narrowed.

"And if my student beats yours?"

"I'll tell you who wrote 'Aphorisms to Anger Warlocks'…"

"You couldn't possibly know that, even the Cryptarchs have never been able to identify who wrote it." the Clerics voice was low and angry.

"Oh… I know who wrote it. I also know that little tid-bit of information has eluded you for years." the mechanics of the Vanguard's face twisted into a grin, he knew he had her.

The Warlock stared at the Hunter searching for truth in his eyes, "When and where?"

"The Twilight Gap, as soon as possible. I'm sure you can make it happen…" the Exo replied over his shoulder as he turned and walked away with Ruby in tow mouthing an apology to her new friend.

"Lord Shaxx will never agree to this." Goodwitch called after him.

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><p><strong>Authors Note: The next chapter is here as promised Guardians, I hoped you enjoyed it!<strong>

**I've started to do something I'm gonna call the 'reference game' there are three in this chapter (1 RWBY and 2 Destiny).**

**Also a huge thanks to everyone who sent in offers for Guardians I've been able to fully flesh out the roster for the Crucible with your guys Guardians. As a side note to this if anyone does still want to send in an OC Guardian feel free they won't be rocking up in the Crucible chapter but I may need them at other points in the story.**

**As always please leave a review or PM me with any questions, and remember to keep your Light safe.**


	7. The Crucible

"I can't believe Lord Shaxx agreed to this," the Cleric muttered as she strode through the ranks of the fireteam that was representing her, the Crucible Handler had altered the bet between her and Cayde-6 slightly. Instead of a one on one duel between the Cat-4 and the Gunslinger Cayde had put forward it was now a team battle two fireteams of six fighting for control of three tactically advantageous points in the ancient battlefield, Lord Shaxx had supplied four other Guardians of the highest calibre to each of the teams to even out the ground of the bet, but most importantly for her he had allowed them to choose another Guardian to fill the final spot on and lead the team. Glynda sat on the bench of the transport ship next to her chosen Guardian.

"Cleric Goodwitch." the Prodigal acknowledged her presence respectfully while snapping the chamber of their hand canon into place and placing it into the holster slung low across their back.

"Watch his back if, he's a liability." Goodwitch warned as her chosen student donned their helmet, the razor sharp spines along the top of the Crucible issue armour reflected the red lights of the exit door. The Guardian examined the blonde boy from behind the tinted glass.

"One minute to green light Guardians!" Lord Shaxx's voice boomed from a set of speakers, the sound of magazines being slipped into guns became a chorus throughout the ship.

"Seems like he knows how to use that." the Guardian commented their voice distorted by the helmet, as Jaune loaded his rifle and adjusted the sights.

"His skill with a rifle is only matched by his inability to control his Light." Goodwitch replied with a degree of scorn in her voice as the Cat-4 slipped on his helmet.

The transport ship shuddered as it pulled into a tight circle, the rear door descending to reveal the factory where Lord Shaxx himself had, against the orders of Lord Saladin, rallied his forces and led the counter-attack against the Fallen Houses at the Battle of Twilight Gap, the wind ripped through the inside of the ship snatching at the edges of coats and cloaks alike. The Guardians lined up at the edge of the ramp, Glynda gripped her student's arm as they stood, and muttered "When this is over we'll talk with the Thanatonauts."

The Guardian joined the line standing next to the Cat-4, he had been a nervous wreck when he had stepped onto the ship but with his rifle in his hands he was still.

* * *

><p>Ruby stared out at the arena below her the blast glass of her visor shielding her eyes from the wind and the dust.<p>

"You owe me for this Cayde." the nominated fireteam leader called from behind her, Ruby had only heard of her in stories passed around the dormitories by trainee Hunters, the Archivist the youngest Hunter to achieve Neith rank, a female Awoken Bladedancer known for her ferocity on and off the battlefield, her Test of Cunning was a legend in the Tower each telling making it more fanciful. The story Ruby had heard said that she had snatched Cayde-6's Ghost from right under his nose at a meeting between the Vanguards without him, Ikora or Zavala noticing. There were two incredible things about the story, firstly the Vanguard meetings were held in a small sealed room with nowhere to hide and secondly the speed required to pull off the heist, she would have needed to be in and out in the blink of an eye.

"I will see to it that the Vanguards' Archives are open to you." Cayde replied, whether the story was true or not the Exo obviously held the Archivist in high regard.

* * *

><p>Jaune gulped as the opposing teams stared eachother down, Ruby's small stature made her stand out against the other taller Guardians, to his left was a female Guardian her face obscured by her helmet, "Stick with me." she muttered.<p>

"Alpha team are led by the woman of Iron Banner fame, it's the 'Ice Queen' herself Weiss Schnee!" the booming voice of the Crucible Handler echoed around the arena and through the speakers of the screens that were playing footage of the match. The female Guardian stepped forward her brilliant white coat appearing to shine in the evening light opening her right hand a blue banner appeared in it. Jaune recognised the name it had belonged to the small white haired girl he had seen on his first day.

Weiss slammed the handle of the banner into the ground far enough for it to stand on its own before stepping back into the line. Looking to her right she counted off her allies, first of course there was the Cat-4 she had to babysit, _Jaune wasn't it?_ His shabby equipment and broken rifle looked like they had been dug out of some hole in the wasteland.

Next was Nox-5, the calm and calculating Exo supporter of Dead Orbit, his numerous impressive feats in the Crucible had earned him a full set of Sojourn armour crafted by the Faction's master technicians, the simple dark blue colour matching his no nonsense personality. He was a Bladedancer and someone she held a small personal grudge against after he had ruined her favourite coat in her Crucible debut, silently wishing he was on the other team she pushed her feelings on the man to the side, unlike herself the Exo had no time for such petty things, she was on his side he would have her back.

As she continued down the line she came to Kira Mishan, Weiss knew her from the Warlock cloisters and their lessons together under Vanguard Rey, the redhead was known for two things; her ability as a sniper and a penchant for causing trouble, the first of many reasons why she was not an Apprentice Cleric. Her highly illegal Ice Breaker prototype, known almost exclusively for blowing up in its operator's hands, she had 'acquired' from god knows where was propped up against her left shoulder, much to Weiss' annoyance the fiery girl blew a kiss towards the opposing team.

In quite the contrast to the Warlock to his left was someone Weiss had not expected to see in a Crucible match, Tangelo-19 worked almost exclusively for the Vanguards under the direction of Commander Zavala and as far as Weiss was aware had never shown an interest in the competitive matches that were held in the name of training. Although the male Exo probably didn't need much training, he had seen action under the command of Shaxx on the very dirt she now stood on, he probably knew the terrain better than any other Guardian here, his life had rested on that information and that made him an ally and an asset she was happy to have.

Finally there was Clay-91, a Gunslinger with a strangely deep interest in fire and sharp objects. A trait he had developed into a skill, the Exo could hit a Fallen Shank square in the sensor dome with a knife at fifty paces and when those knives were on fire… For once Weiss knew very little about a Crucible veteran Clay kept to himself preferring the Battle-Royale style Rumble matches to the team based Control ones, the hand cannon dubbed Timur's Lash that sat in the holster on his leg showing he had earned the respect of the Lords of the Iron Banner, a feat she was yet to achieve.

Weiss was torn from her thoughts as Lord Shaxx's voice continued to ring out over the speakers, "And leading their opponents the ever mysterious and alluring 'Archivist'!"

* * *

><p>Ruby was just about to faint with excitement as black-clad Bladedancer stepped forward and placed their team's banner into the ground all around her were famous Guardians but more importantly for her were the weapons they bore. The Archivist had an odd looking hand cannon strapped to her thigh, she couldn't get a good look at it but it seemed to have a peculiarly long grip.<p>

To her left was the over bearing presence of Dex-34, Ruby had met the Exo previously Oobleck often called on him to help with fieldwork lessons, nothing escaped the sweeping gaze of his red eyes. The 77 Wizard in his hands had an annoyingly long charge time and a small magazine but packed one hell of a punch to more than make up for it, "Don't worry kid we got this." Ruby almost fell flat on her face as the Exo slapped her on the back.

To Dex's left ejecting a full shell from her pump action Suros MKB-51 was Xithia, the Awoken woman's threatening display probably had little effect on the veterans of the other team but she was sure it had been aimed at Jaune but as far as she could tell he had no reaction to it. Xithia was a Voidwalker of notable skill according to Yang, her temperament on the other hand left much to be desired. Her aggressive and unforgiving nature in combat made her a powerful ally and a dangerous enemy.

Next was a man who went by the name of Silas, he was a Striker and that was pretty much all she knew about him. As veteran Guardians went he was pretty young, and from pictures she had seen of him had once been a very handsome man until he had met the wrong end of a Hive Thrall and the monsters razor sharp claws had carved a bloody pattern down the right hand side of his face. The rifle hanging from his right hand had been given to him by Lord Shaxx, it was called B-line Trauma, if Ruby's memory served her well the name of the weapon was actually the name given to serious head injuries, she wondered if the man saw the funny side of his weapon's name.

Finally there was Kaitlyn, a human Bladedancer that Ruby knew surprisingly well. Firstly Ruby knew that she preferred the nickname Kat over her actual name, she also knew that the rag-tag set of armour that Kat took so much stick for wearing was highly modified by the Bladedancer herself and really that was the reason Ruby liked her, they could spent hours in the Vanguard Foundry modifying their equipment together. While Ruby was a budding expert of weapon design Kat was a genius at modifying armour so it worked more efficiently or more importantly in Ruby's opinion more comfortable to wear.

* * *

><p>Jaune was left standing looking around aimlessly as the other Guardians turned on the spot and walked away in their teams, <em>had there been an announcement he missed?<em>

"This way genius." Weiss muttered as she grabbed his arm and roughly manhandled him over to their team's starting area.

"What are your orders, our esteemed leader?" Kira asked her mocking tone audible even though her face was obscured by her helmet.

Weiss either ignored or didn't hear the sarcasm, most likely the former, using her Fireteam Leader status she pulled up a field map on the Heads up Display of each of their helmets, "Kira we need you up here." A red dot appeared on the far right of the map close to their starting position.

"Oh you need me do you, I'll remember that…" the sniper replied with a smirk, Weiss gave her a deadpan stare before continuing.

"It's not the highest point on the map but it's sight lines make it the most valuable sniper position on this map and the rocks will give you the cover you need, our foes will be looking to take the position so you need to keep an eye out."

Weiss then turned to the Exos, "Tangelo you take the lead up the middle, if possible move to take zone B, crush anything in your path," the Titan nodded in reply to show his understanding as a red line traced his route. "Nox, Clay as Tangelo draws their fire move up along the gun emplacements and flank their advancing Guardians your target is zone C, for most of the initial assault you'll have the necessary sight lines to provide covering fire if necessary." the two Hunters looked at eachother briefly, something unknowable passing between them.

"How about you?" Nox-5 asked calmly.

"I'll secure zone A and hold it until you have completed your primary objectives." nods of understanding were given all round, "You are all given clearance to break formation and engage targets as you see necessary but if we can clear our objectives we'll be on the lead foot."

"Umm… What about me? Where am I going to be?" Jaune asked timidly as he raised his hand and gave the girl a jaunty wave.

"Never more than two feet away from me." Weiss sighed as she readied her weapon.

* * *

><p>The klaxon sounded and Ruby rushed forward, the Archivist had given them no orders on how they should attack and had taken off by herself as the match started. Ruby took a left through an open doorway and out into the fresh air, she needed to be in the open to use her sniper rifle properly. Taking cover behind some crates she took a moment to examine the field through her scope the other team's Titan had rushed zone B and bunkered down his heavy machine gun providing enough supressing fire to hold back Silas who was now hunkered behind a small piece of cover, unable to move up or retreat, each time he popped out of cover a burst of lead would pepper the area. Spotting another a vantage point that would give her a clear shot at the machine gunner she left her cover only to be sent scurrying back into it as a bolt of Solar energy cracked into the wall by her ear, <em>their sniper is out there!<em> Ruby bunkered down again she had to find that sniper first.

* * *

><p>She came at them like a freight train; she had appeared out of thin air above their heads her shotgun roaring like a wild animal as it filled the air with lead, Weiss had pushed him to the side firing her hand canon with a single hand. Xithia disappeared again, but as she re-appeared behind them Weiss was ready… Three shots rang out the gun bucking wildly with each pull of the trigger, the first hit the female Warlock in the chest breaking her shield, the second in the shoulder a spray of blood erupting from the wound and the third hit her forehead. A shield sprung up around her defending her from the killing blow as the Crucible's protection override kicked in, Xithia fell to the ground her body forced into paralysis. Her Ghost appeared above her tilting itself towards them slightly as if it were nodding before it and its Guardian both disappeared in a flourish of light.<p>

As Jaune watched the display several questions began to build up in his head but he pushed them aside into the ever growing pile that had formed in the corners of his mind, now was not the time to start asking questions. There was movement to his left accompanied by a vibrant glow that grew in intensity, "Get down!" he shouted as he raised his rifle. The sound of bullet casing hitting the ground accompanied the smell of cordite as he shot towards the person assaulting their position. Weiss, unused to being ordered around, was late to react however luckily for her Jaune's suppressing fire had disturbed their enemies aim and they shot wide, the balls of energy screaming just past her ear. "Cover me I'm reloading." Jaune ordered.

"Who are you to ord…"

"Just do it!" the Voidwalker pouted unhappily behind the visor of her helmet but she did as she was instructed, _what happened to the timid guy Glynda had been scorning?_

* * *

><p>She moved cautiously, her footsteps as silent as a cat's; keeping to the shadows she approached her targets, the two Exo Hunters were moving towards zone C which she had just taken for own team. They had taken the bait as expected and it had been a simple task to out manoeuvre them and get behind them.<p>

"Guardian down." her Ghost informed her over the radio, the information washed over her, she was too focused on her target, a loose pebble skittered along the ground as her foot connected with it.

"Someone's there." the first Hunter said turning to face the direction of the sound his Light flaring and forming a burning hand canon in his hand, the second nodded drawing a large knife which crackled with electricity. They could see no one but that didn't mean they were alone, their training kicking into overdrive they were the hunters not the hunted. Moving as a unit they retraced their steps covering eachother as they passed corners.

Their strategy was good, unfortunately they were only thinking in two dimensions, if only they had looked up. Her blade unfolded itself; styled in homage to the blades of the ninjas of feudal Japan it was larger than the blades of other Bladedancers but it worked for her. Dropping down she took out the Gunslinger with one swipe to the base of his neck, but before she could recover the Bladedancer was on her his knife sparking violently as he swung for her neck, ducking under the blade she swung out her leg trying to catch his leg for a sweep. There was a jarring clang as her armoured boots hit the metal of the Exo's leg; unfortunately the force of her kick could not shift the weight of the mechanical limb.

"Nice try," the muffled voice of her opponent laughed as he raised his leg for a kick of his own, realising her mistake she threw herself backwards and rolled to her feet as his boot entered the space her head had just occupied. Not giving her an opportunity to recover he pressed his advantage he lunged forward swinging for her abdomen electricity crackling around his body. Sparks flew and the pungent smell of ozone filled the air as their weapons clashed, her block was a hasty response but it had worked the male Bladedancer pushed down heavily on her sword. The hair on the back of her neck stood of end as they forced their Light into their weapons lightning crackled and struck out furiously at the metallic surfaces surrounding them. The blades were forced towards her by the Exo's superior strength unable to force them back she disengaged swinging at his legs with her sword, shifting his body weight the Exo rolled over her back striking out with his knife as landed. Curving her body backwards she watched the knife pass over her inches away from her face, coiling up she retaliated swinging her sword in a wide arc, connecting with his shoulder the blade would have sliced him from shoulder to hip if it hadn't been for the protection override that stole him away from the arena.

Activating her Fireteam Leader display she examined the state of the battlefield, Xithia was down however she had made up for and taken the numbers advantage with her two kills. The enemy still held zones A and B and her allies were engaging their foes in an attempt to take them Dex-34 and Kaitlyn were involved in a firefight with the two Guardians holding zone A and Silas was still pinned down at zone B. Ruby had taken up a rather odd position, _she's probably holding back for the elevation and superior sight lines._

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey guys you were gonna get this chapter as a little new years present at midnight (GMT) however my internet was down so you're getting it now :)<strong>

**Many thanks to the Guardians who volunteered to fight in the Crucible I hope I did your Guardians justice, sorry if any of you think you got offed a bit to quickly but I choose the order Guardians were eliminated at random (no seriously I rolled an eight sided dice, it took so... long) and then set up the encounters around that order, just remember You're not dead yet Guardians.**

**I know I've been stringing you along and causing some confusion as to Jaune's class but I swear it's gonna be revealed next chapter... probably... if I don't get distracted by something shiny. **

**If you can't wait and not knowing is keeping you up at night PM and I'll tell you, as always please leave a review and PM me with questions or suggestions.**

**"Rise above, so that you may lift those below"**


	8. Forged in Fire

"How do they have so much ammo!" Ruby screamed as another bolt of solar energy zipped over her head, the enemy sniper had been cycling their weapon in a constant pattern with no gap to reload. Every time she poked her head over her cover to try and get a bead on her foe they would take a shot at her, fortunately for the young red-themed girl the rifle seemed to be designed to put rounds down range with a relatively high degree of accuracy but not pin-point and that was where Ruby had the advantage her custom built high-calibre rifle could precisely hit a target the size of an apple at every range she had ever attempted, there was considerable debate between Yang and herself as to whether or not the shots landed dead centre, the explosive rounds left little of the target for anyone to tell. The only problem was she couldn't line up a shot.

An errant gust of wind blew through the arena catching her vibrant red cloak and pulling in out from behind the stack of boxes. The crack of another round breaking the pattern of the unending cycle of fire gave the young Gunslinger a light bulb moment; her fingers shook as she undid the clasps that held the vibrant red material in place, her first live fire exercise was taking its toll on her nerves, before going for the seals that held her helmet in place. The buzzer Kat had installed in the back of her left glove kicked in to inform her that the suit had lost pressure, not really a problem on Earth, pulling a steel pole out from a pile of rubbish beside her she balanced the helmet on the top of it before draping her cloak around it in a similar manner to how she would when wearing it herself.

* * *

><p>A grim look of determination was set across Jaune's face as the position he and Weiss were holding was peppered with gunfire that came in bursts, a break in the fire came and he popped out of cover the stock of his rifle fixed into his shoulder. Looking at the world through the broken sight Ruby had helped him re-calibrate through the careful addition of some red paint, he focused on the splodge of red he scanned the entry way, the enemy had them completely at their mercy why would they stop firing? It was a trap he knew that much but they had to take the chance and go on the offensive if they were going win this.<p>

Tapping Weiss on the shoulder to get her attention with his left hand the index finger of his right hand not leaving the trigger, he made a few hand signals by reflex to indicate his plan.

"What the hell does that mean?" Weiss's indignant voice came clear in his ear through his radio.

"Umm… W-well I not quite sure…" he replied, "It just kind of made sense… Anyway that's not what matters right now, I've got a plan."

"You have a plan…" the Warlock replied flatly.

"They're trying to lure us out into that corridor were they'll probably have an ambush set up."

"You're ability to analyse and discover the obvious is amazing…" the white haired girl replied sarcastically.

"Chances are they've got that heavy hitting energy gun…"

"It's called a fusion rifle." Weiss interrupted.

"Fine fusion rifle or whatever it's called they're likely to have that down on the left corridor where the tight space will make up for its poor accuracy and then the burst-fire rifle…"

"Pulse rifle…" the Voidwalker sighed, "Sorry…" she added with a huff when Jaune didn't continue with his explanation.

"They will have positioned that gun up on the stairs to the right to block any attempt at retreat, a perfect ambush."

"Have you quite finished congratulating our enemy on their sterling tactics?"

"Oh right… Yeah, that woman who came charging at us with a shotgun, she's a Voidwalker like you isn't she."

"Yes."

"So you can do that teleporting thingy."

"Someone rips open the fabric of space and then beds time to their will…"

"Weiss, please you can give me all the lectures you want some other time but right now you need to focus." Jaune interrupted exasperatedly, "Can you do it?"

"I can."

"Okay I'm gonna distract the fusion rifle but that will put me right in the sights of the pulse rifle so I need you to get up there and take it out."

"And after that it's a simple matter of taking out the fusion rifle." the Voidwalker added with a smile.

* * *

><p>Ruby slowed her breathing, lying flat on the ground she shimmied as close to the edge of the cover provided by the crates as she dared and slowly shuffled her rifle into position. Holding it in her left hand she hesitantly raised her makeshift distraction while gazing down the scope.<p>

The flash of the shot came and Ruby's right arm was yanked backwards as her helmet was stuck the blast glass shattering on impact, flinching she pulled the trigger of the big rifle, the shot echoed around the arena as the mighty rifle recoiled violently.

The explosive round hit one of the rocks in the area that the enemy sniper was concealed, Ruby took her chance the explosion giving her the time she needed, her opponent had most likely dove for cover with the proximity of the detonation. Leaping over her rifle she fixed the stock into its usual position at her right shoulder, in the open she was exposed but it was a risk she had to take, through the lens of her scope the sparkle on light reflecting off the enemy's scope caught her eye, lining up her crosshairs on the flash she slowed her breathing. The rifle kicked again but the shot was true, she wouldn't need a second.

* * *

><p>Bullets and energy bolts flew back and forth down the corridor buzzing like angry hornets, the superior fire rate of his weapon meant that Jaune had the fusion rifle's owner pinned. His opponent was making a herculean effort to eliminate him but luckily for the blonde he was too well positioned for it to have any effect, Weiss scanned the top of the stair case the pulse rifle wielder would be appearing any second it was the only route they could come down if they were hoping to avoid a fiery elimination by Kira's hands.<p>

"Guardian down." the sound of her Ghost's voice made her face grow pale; as she watched a red cross appear beside Kira's name.

"Jaune we have a prob…" she was unable to finish her sentence as the blade of a knife flashed towards her, ducking under the offending weapon she rotated on the spot allowing her attacker to move past her. Raising her hand canon she moved to shoot but her gun hand was kicked away by the Bladedancer who followed up with another slash aimed at her throat Weiss spun out of the way again holding her gun close to her hip she fired fanning the hammer to increase her rate of fire. Bullets tore holes into the walls as the Bladedancer made the logic behind their name obvious, the sweeping pattern of their body as they ducked and weaved through the bullets was mesmerising, Weiss was willing to even go as far as calling it beautiful.

Her ammo spent Weiss summoned her Light forcing it into her palm until it burned, her power writhed and coiled beneath her skin, she was not going to lose. The Bladedancer charged blinking in and out of sight; fury added heat to the fire that was burning her palm this Hunter had the audacity to use the stolen Warlock ability against her. Reaching out she grasped out at thin air clutching at it as she felt the familiar chill of the abyss, pulling back against it she tore open a hole, the unforgiving pull of the void threatened to tear her to pieces. Forcing her will upon it she bent it, shaped it and then released it.

The initial shockwave threw Jaune to his knees before it pulled him back in, the breath was forced from his lungs as he was thrown into the unrelenting metal surface of a nearby gun emplacement. Gasping for air as his gaze fell on the sight before him, the white themed girl stood her left hand outstretched her fingertips touching the giant writhing ball of purple energy that was in front of her. Within the maelstrom he could make out a Ghost its Light just holding up the Crucible's protection protocol. With a sweep of her hand Weiss banished the energy releasing the enemy Guardian who was transmatted from the arena instantly.

The owner of the fusion rifle realising their plan had failed threw caution to the wind and charged their position while Jaune was distracted; another casual flick of Weiss's hand sent him flying like a ragdoll as he was hit square in the chest with a concentrated burst of Hawking radiation, he was transmatted form the arena before his body had hit the ground.

The white clad Guardian stood triumphantly surveying the emptiness left in the wake of her power; Jaune was silent in awe of the ferocity of what he had just seen. The female Guardian began to walk over towards him her steps that were initially slow and purposeful became awkward and wobbly before her legs finally gave out underneath her.

"Weiss!" the male Guardian exclaimed as he caught her falling body.

"What are you doing you dolt!" the Voidwalker slapped his hands away from her.

"I was worried… A-and when you fell I thought you had been injured…" he replied taking a step away from her lest he incur her wrath.

"I'm fine." Weiss replied sharply as she brushed off some flecks of dirt that had the insolence to get thrown up on to her coat.

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><p>Silas had made a strong effort, making it halfway down the corridor when coming the other way was a veritable wall of bullets was an impressive feat yet futile to say the least. The Titan had grown frustrated by his position and she had watched as his frustration turned into anger and then boiled over into unrivalled fury. She might have been able to help him, to provide a distraction while he had charged but she hadn't, maybe it would have worked or maybe she would have been showered with scorching metal, these were all hypotheticals anyway what mattered was that she now faced the problem same problem as Silas had before her. Crouching down low she slowed her breathing, slowly she faded from sight as she redirected the every wavelength of radiation around her body, you couldn't be too careful when dealing with Exos some were able to scan in the infra-red and ultraviolet spectrums.<p>

Slinking forward she slowly moved up to her enemy's position, the barrel of the large machine gun was visible, poking through a small gap in the barricade her enemy had set himself up behind. The Archivist froze as the gun began to sweep towards her, had she misjudged her enemy? Holding her breath she tracked the gun, slowly exhaling as it passed by her, _they're just sweeping the area._

Continuing forward she found herself crouched beneath the barrel of the gun as it swayed slowly above her, drawing her sword she released her control over her appearance and flickered back into the visible spectrum. Grabbing hold of the hot gun barrel she yanked it forward and received a satisfying clang as the Titan was jerked forward and his helmet crunched into the metal panel standing she drove the blade of her sword through the gap and was rewarded with the enemy's prompt disappearance from the arena.

Surveying the arena she found that there were only three other Guardians remaining, her team still held the undefended zone C and on top of that she had just acquired zone B so with both teams equal on numbers she had put them in the lead. Ruby was nearby but the signalling device in her helmet wasn't responding, flinching as she heard approaching footsteps she slowly backed up letting the shadows conceal her from view.

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><p>Ruby's lungs filled with the dusty unfiltered air as she breathed in, she discarded her now ruined helmet into a corner of room as she walked through it pouting as the casing of the custom armour piece rattled against the rust coated walls. The bolt of solar energy had melted through the blast glass creating blobs of molten glass that had burned multiple holes through the sapphire wire hard point on the back of the helmet, if she had been wearing it the Crucible protection override would have preserved it but she would be waking up in a med-bay with one hell of a headache, flicking the red hood of her cloak over her head to give some protection from the elements she pushed forward.<p>

Without the motion trackers installed in her helmet she practically stumbled into Jaune and Weiss jumping back behind a stack of crates she poked her head out from the shoulder high cover to observe them. The pair were moving in near perfect synchronicity, Jaune had the lead is rifle sweeping from side to side with slow determined intent while Weiss was at his shoulder her hand canon held in an upright position as she watched their flanks, Ruby didn't really want to shoot Jaune but at the same point she didn't want to lose…

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><p>The Archivist hissed with unbridled fury as she saw who was approaching, the Schnee girl, an almost primal anger rose up from within the Awoken. <em>Here and know, I could take vengeance… No one would question it; this is a live fire exercise after all… Accidents happen…<em>

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><p>The Guardian in front of her raised his left fist; Weiss had worked out that the hand signal meant that she should hold her position, "It's too quiet…" Jaune's low guarded tone came clearly through her radio. She checked her surroundings carefully but saw only shadows, but she could feel it too the uneasy feeling in her gut screamed to her that she was being watched.<p>

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><p>She was so close, she could reach out and touch the girl, the Crucible's defence systems weren't infallible, it would be so simple one quick cut just below the helmet where there was no armour. She was ready, she had prepared for this moment, but as the girl stood in front of her something stayed her hand, it was as if her limbs were made of lead, heavy and unresponsive.<p>

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><p>Ruby stepped out from behind her only cover her hand canon engulfed in flame, the flickering light catching Jaune's eye. Raising his rifle as he turned his index finger moving tensing on the trigger, <em>she isn't wearing a helmet! <em>Beside him Weiss was levelling her own weapon at the red cloaked Hunter, he didn't know if the Crucible's system would be enough to protect her without her armour.

Dropping his rifle in the dirt he moved between the girls as they fired at eachother, "Stop!" he yelled raising his hands to the sides.

Two bullets ricocheted away as they struck the purple dome of energy, the Archivist used the distraction he provided to make her move leaping forward she cut diagonally across the back of the white clad Voidwalker, not stopping to see the Crucible's system kick in and save the girl she charged at the Cat-4 who stood dumbfounded in the glowing hemi-sphere of his own creation.

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><p>Jaune felt the impact on his head as he was struck, his limbs froze and his vision flickered before he was plunged into darkness.<p>

Breathing in sharply as he was instantly forced back into consciousness he felt another strike to the side of his face, only this time it was followed by a painful burning sensation. "What the hell did you do that for!" in his still woozy state Jaune was unable to tell who was addressing him but he had a pretty good idea who it was.

As his vision cleared he found that his helmet had been removed and that Weiss, her helmet also missing was struggling against the arms of Tangelo-19 who was holding her back from him, "I could have easily taken her out, but you just had to be the hero and put yourself in the line of fire!" the Warlock spat her silvery white hair falling in front of her face.

There was another slap that silenced the white haired girl, "Well that was fun." Kira muttered quietly as Weiss stared at her, her mouth opening a closing in shock. "He didn't do it for you…" she added, "That Gunslinger didn't have a helmet on… He saved her life."

Weiss remained silent, fury still burning in her eyes shaking herself free from the grip of the large Exo she stormed to the only exit of the room, "Don't ever talk to me again."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey guys how's it going another chapter down and the plot gets deeper... <strong>

**I thought I would mention that I'm kind of bending the rules and lore of Destiny a little bit. In a Crucible match every time you go down your Guardian has died, and when you respawn your Ghost pulls you back from the abyss dust you off a sends you on your way again, which is a wonderful way to explain away the game mechanics however it is a bit of a pain in the ass when you're writing a story and you want death to actually mean something (I think that might count as a spoiler...) so I tweaked it a little.**

**Also congrats to everyone who guessed Jaune would be a Titan award yourself with a pat on the head and a cookie.**

**A huge thank you to WarmasterCain55, Darkerpaths, MindGeek, Airchampion, dillie.d, JPVE, HanzoGo and commander Jackass for putting their Guardians in the line of fire, sorry but yes they all had to be defeated.**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter please leave a review or PM me with any questions and I'll see you on the other side Guardians.**


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